Revenge
by Bow Ties And Hair Gel
Summary: When Eugene takes Rapunzel back to the tower, which he has spent weeks cleaning and fixing up, on the 1st wedding anniversary as a surprise, they both get quite a shock when a certain old hag returns for revenge.  But how? READ ME TO FIND OUT MORE!
1. Sleepless Night

Chapter 1:

The sun shined bright on Rapunzel's rosy cheeks as she turned to face her sleeping husband in bed. Today was their 1st wedding anniversary and she wanted to spend the whole day with her beloved Eugene. But when she opened her eyes, he was gone. She looked at his pillow and saw a small scrap of paper. It was a note.

_Dear Rapunzel,_

_I couldn't sleep so I went down to the royal library. _

_If I'm not back before sunrise, I will see you in the dining hall for breakfast._

_I brought Pascal with me for company, so don't worry if you can't find him._

_Love, Eugene_

Rapunzel rose from her side of the bed and walked over to her closet. She was a bit worried about Eugene. He was usually a pain to get up before noon, and him not being able to sleep was fairly odd.

Rapunzel took a simple pink dress from her closet and changed quickly into it. She wanted to get to the dining hall first thing. She threw on a pair heals and scurried off to breakfast. She didn't even brush her hair, and it flew in all different directions.

When Rapunzel arrived at the dining hall, she was relieved to see Eugene waiting for her. Pascal had already begun to stuff his face with the usual morning delicacies and didn't even notice Rapunzel walk into the room. Eugene let out a slight chuckle when he saw his wife. Her hair was flying in all different directions and her corset was on inside out.

"Rough morning Blondie?" Eugene gave Rapunzel a slight smirk. He let out a small chuckle as he tried to suppress the true laugh that was dying to be heard. Rapunzel shot back a cold look. If looks could kill, poor Eugene would be dead ten times over. She had realized what he meant by 'rough morning' and was embarrassed by her laziness. She quickly changed the subject to Eugene.

"So…why couldn't you sleep last night? You usually can't be bothered to wake up before noon, let alone not being able to sleep." This was true and Eugene knew it. He never woke before noon and, frankly, he didn't even like the library. It was just a cover for what he had been doing that night. He had a HUGE surprise for Rapunzel and he didn't want her to figure it out. Eugene was thinking about his surprise and didn't realize Rapunzel had even asked him a question.

"Eugene!" Rapunzel's voice broke Eugene's train of thought. He looked u at her and smiled guiltily. He didn't like it when he got caught not paying attention. It drove Rapunzel crazy! But it wasn't like he did it on purpose.

"Huh… Oh! Umm… I was just umm…. Restless! Yes restless." He looked at the top of Rapunzel's head, for he couldn't look straight into her eyes when he lied to her, or anybody for that matter. "I wanted to read a book to unwind me a bit. That's all." He was almost on the edge of his seat. He hoped that Rapunzel would buy his excuse, and thank god she did because he would have had a heart attack if she didn't.

"Well…alright. Let's eat. I am so hungry and I might faint if I don't get something in my stomach!" Now she was lying to him. She felt like she was going to be sick, but she didn't want to ruin the surprise she had in store for him. It was a huge surprise that would change his life forever. Literally.

**PLEASE REVEIW! YOU REVEIW, I WRITE MORE! I know it was short but trust me, it will get so much better.**


	2. Hello Flower

Chapter 2:

After breakfast, Eugene and Rapunzel headed back to their bedroom to let Rapunzel fix herself up. And boy was she a mess! Aside her messy hair and inside out corset, Eugene noticed that her shoes didn't even match.

After she finished preparing herself for the day ahead, Rapunzel was swept away by Eugene. He led her down about six flights of stairs and around a few corners until they came to the main corridor.

"Where are we going?" But Eugene just ignored her and kept on going. They walked out the palace doors until they came to the royal stables, where Max was waiting for them. Eugene took Rapunzel by the waist and hoisted her onto Max's back. Then he hopped onto Max's back as well and they were off.

The rode through town and over the bridge that connected the kingdom to the woods. Max galloped through the vines and brush of the lush forest until he came to an extremely large bolder that seemed to be covered with vines. Rapunzel had absolutely no idea where she was, until Eugene moved aside the vines to reveal a passage way.

They walked through the passage, which was more like a cave, until they came to an opening. Rapunzel just about burst into tears when she saw the beautiful tower before her. She looked over at Eugene. He held out his arms and Rapunzel raced into them, finally bursting into tears.

"Why? Why did you bring me here?" Rapunzel was sobbing and chocked on her words. She didn't understand why he had brought her to the place where she was held captive for the first eighteen years of her life. Eugene smiled down at Rapunzel and revealed what he had been doing for the past couple of weeks.

"I thought you would like to see it one last time. I have been coming here every night to clean and fix it up. You know that I hate the library anyway. This is where I have been going at night. Surprise!" Eugene wasn't sure what was going through his wife's mind until she smiled and wiped away her tears.

Rapunzel looked deep into Eugene's hazel eyes with admiration. She had missed her beautiful paintings on the tower walls and she had left some important things here, like her paints, which she wanted to gather up, but had never got to it. Her lips met those of her husbands, and when they broke apart, Rapunzel wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you. I have a surprise for you too, but it can wait until later. Let's go inside!" Rapunzel unraveled her arms from Eugene and took him by the hand. She dragged him to where the hidden door was. They came to the stone door, which was already opened.

Eugene thought he had closed that door last night when he left, but didn't think much of it and led Rapunzel up the steep staircase that wound in circles all the way to the top of the tower. He noticed little things along the way to the top that he didn't notice at his other trips to the tower. He saw that all the candles that lit the staircase were already lit, but he hadn't done it. He also noticed foot prints made of mud and dirt that were much smaller than his own.

He was getting worried that someone had broken into the tower and hesitated to bring Rapunzel up any further, but she was determined to get to the top. She waltzed right past him and continued u the stairs. Eugene followed her and they finally reached the top.

When they reached the top of the tower, Rapunzel was amazed with her husband's work. Eugene had the place spotless! The long mess of brown hair that was left was coiled up in the corner of the room, while everything else just sparkled!

Rapunzel walked over to the pile of long, brunette hair that was coiled up in the corner. She took in her hands and gasped. Oh, how she missed her golden locks that splayed out behind her, flowing in the breeze that came from outside the window. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the last painting she had ever painted in the tower.

The bright yellow dots that specked the wall looked just like the lanterns did the night of her 18th birthday. The small girl in the corner of the mural had long golden locks, which made Rapunzel turn to look back at the coiled hair on the other side of the room. She started to tear up and raced over to Eugene, who lovingly wrapped his arms around her delicate frame. The two stayed like this for what seemed like forever, but this touching moment was disrupted by a voice. A sharp, high voice of which they thought they would never have to hear again.

"Hello Flower. Did you miss you mother?"

**WOAH! OLD HAG ALERT! EEEWWW! I HATE OLD HAGS! WHATS GONNA HAPPEN! I DONT KNOW! REVEIW AND GIVE ME SOME IDEAS! Peace out my homies! hehe!**


	3. The Wicked Witch of Corona Is Alive

**YEAH BUDDIE! This is gonna get intense! Thanks for all the reviews! And SparkleWolf, AWESOME IDEA! I will try to incorporate it in the story the best I can! Ok… so where were we…**

Chapter 3:

This couldn't be happening. It was just flat out IMPOSSIBLE! How could this be HAPPENING! Rapunzel quickly spun around and saw the somewhat –yes somewhat because she looked about middle aged, maybe 40- young women standing at the top of the stair case, her ebony hair billowing out behind her. It was Gothel.

"Oh, while Rapunzel. Don't stare at your mother that way. Come give me a hug." Gothel held out her arms, waiting for her flower to come running into them. A devious smirk curled her lips, and it made Rapunzel's stomach churn with terror and shock. Eugene's mouth just slightly hung open as he stared at the monstrosity that killed him almost three years ago.

"What, I-I-I don't und… How did you get here?" Rapunzel was pure shock as Gothel waltzed over and snaked her arms around the princess. Gothel was hugging her too tightly, and her body pressed on Rapunzel's stomach with great force, and it made her worried. She didn't want to ruin in her surprise, even during this ghastly situation. Gothel kissed Rapunzel on the top of her head and simply said "That's nothing you need to worry about, I'm here for you now my flower."

"Don't call her that." Eugene's voice cracked when he spoke. He was deathly afraid of the revolting woman, but it didn't matter. Rapunzel was not her little toy, her pet. She was his wife, the light in his world. She was all he had to live for. He would do anything if it meant Rapunzel would be safe, even die again. And that was the least he could do.

Gothel unraveled her arms from Rapunzel and strode over to Eugene. The heals on her boots clicked and clacked on the hard tile. Eugene backed up with every step Gothel took near him. He backed into the wall nearest to Rapunzel's lantern mural, while Gothel took her out dagger from a pocket in her cape. She held it to his throat and whispered into his ear. "You say one more word, and I end you."

Gothel walked away, shoving the sharp knife back into her pocket. She walked past Rapunzel and over to a sack that sat over by the tower window. She pulled out a shard of glass, one of the shards from the broken mirror. But it wasn't just any shard of glass; it was THE shard of glass. The one Eugene used to cut Rapunzel's hair. He only knew this because there was blood on it, this was from the blood on his hand after he had held it over his wound, and long strands of brunette hair were embedded in the jagged edge from cutting his wife's hair.

"Do you see this." Gothel held up the shard so that both Eugene and Rapunzel could see it. "This is what you used to kill me. So, Rider," Eugene got the hint that she was speaking to him directly, " I think I'm going to use it to torture you, along with some other things as well. Maybe some memories that need to replay themselves." Eugene's eyes widened. He looked over to his wife, who wanted to race over to him, but didn't dare move. Gothel had her dagger, a tool that she ought not to mess with.

Gothel took the chains, which were still attached to the stair banister from that graphic day three years ago, and started making her way towards Eugene. She grabbed him by the arms, but he shoved her away. Gothel was strong, and this didn't bother her. She simply punched him across the face and he fell to the floor, not so much in pain, but in shock. Gothel took his hands and chained them behind his back, then chained him to the banister.

Eugene tried to break free of the chains, but Gothel took an old pot, the same one used to hide Eugene's satchel, and smashed it over his head, knocking him out. A large gash formed along his forehead and started to gush out blood. Rapunzel was terrified for her husband's life. Gothel started to drag Eugene's limp body into a small alcove under the staircase, but was interrupted by Rapunzel's trembling voice.

"No! Please!" Rapunzel started screaming and sobbing all at the same time. Gothel just ignored her and continued to drag her husband across the floor. "No! Gothel stop! Please," She paused for a moment to think and wipe away some tears, "take me instead." Gothel whipped her head around in shock and stared deep into Rapunzel's green orbs. She dropped Eugene and his already heavily bleeding head hit the floor with a curplunk, and started to bleed even more.

Gothel thought for a moment, then continued to drag Eugene's limp form under the stairs. "No. He will do just as well, if not better than you." Gothel wanted something, but what? Rapunzel could see this, because if Gothel had wanted her, Eugene wouldn't be chained to the stair case. What could Gothel possibly want from her? There was nothing to give.

"What do you want with him? From me?" Rapunzel was sobbing so hard. The poor princess's face was drenched with tears. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying so much and she was trembling with antagonism and sorrow. But Gothel was a woman without a heart, or if she did have one, it was just three sizes too small or frozen like ice.

"That is for me to know… and for you to find out." Gothel disappeared behind the staircase with Eugene. Rapunzel raced down the spiral stairs and down to where Max had been waiting. She hopped on and rode back to the kingdom as fast as she could. She had to stop this madness. And she had to figure out how Gothel managed to come back.

It seemed like a dream. A nightmare. Rapunzel just wanted to blink her eyes a few time and wake up in her room, snuggled up next to Eugene. But it was all too real. Poor Max wanted to know why they had left behind his best friend, but Rapunzel didn't want to worry him, so she lied and said that he wanted to fix it up some more.

"Don't worry Max. Eugene is just doing some last minute touches to the tower, that's all." Rapunzel tried hard to hold back the tears. She had to be strong, at least until she got back to the kingdom. But it was getting late and the sun had started to set. Her and Max would never be able to find their way back to the castle in the dark. They would have to set up camp for the night.

**SHABOOM! ITS LONGER! YAY! REVIEW PLEASE! The next chapter is gonna be kinda funny… MOOD SWINGS! CRAVINGS! And at such a scary part in the story… I though I would brighten up the mood! ;D hehe! PEACE!**


	4. Is It Mood Swings or Moose Wings?

**Heyy all my fanfiction peeps! This is the funny chapter! And yes she is pregnant… you all sorta figured that out in chapter 1…. Surprise ruiners… haha! Jk! OK! So here is the funniest chapter you will ever read! Oh! And ideas for chapter 5! Bring um on in! OH! And Lucy in the sky with diamonds! Rapunzel is a bit out of character. But it's only with Gothel… she's kinda terrified of her… and also she is having a change in mood because, well you know. Ok! Here is chapter 4!**

Chapter 4:

Rapunzel and Max had just finished setting up camp by a large tree when Rapunzel felt like she wanted to cry, which is only the right thing to do, considering that her husband has been taken away by and old fart… She simply burst into tears and told Max everything, but he didn't get a word of it. Rapunzel was crying too hard, and her words were all jumbled together with the loud wails and hiccups coming from her mouth.

Then she threw up. She had cried so much that she started puking everywhere, which was surprising because she hadn't eaten since breakfast and her stomach was pretty empty. When she was done, Max nudged her softly with his head in attempt to comfort her, but it just triggered another emotion.

"What right does that manipulative bitch have to take away Eugene? MY EUGENE! She doesn't have the right!" Rapunzel had stopped crying, but now she was full of anger and frustration. Max was extremely confused. Rapunzel was so aggravated with Gothel that she took it all out on the horse. Throwing walnuts at him and kicking dirt and mud at his hooves. She even got so mad that she ripped hair out of poor Max's mane. Max had had enough of this yelling that he took some water in his mouth from a nearby puddle and spit it right into her face.

Another emotion took over Rapunzel in a flash. The water made Rapunzel feel all flighty inside. She started giggling uncontrollably and eventually fell on the ground, laughing so hard. But she didn't know why. "This is all just a big joke! I know it is! Gothel is dead for crying out loud!" And then that did it…

She started to wail again. "It's not a joke is it! Eugene! I'm so sorry! Please come back to me! Please! Oh, this is all MY FAULT!" Rapunzel started hiccupping again. She wanted to curl into a ball and cry until she fell asleep, but something came over her and the wails were quick to flee. She wiped away the tears and stared at Max. "Hay Max, do you have any cake in your saddle pouch"

This was probably the absurd question Max had ever heard! Of course he didn't have cake in his saddle pouch, only apples. Max picked up an apple with his mouth and handed it to Rapunzel. And she started munching away on it. "Thanks for the cake Max!"

Ok. Now Max was really confused, but he didn't let it bother him for too long. He knew her secret. This was normal. He saw it with the queen when she was pregnant with Rapunzel. And yes. This was her surprise. Rapunzel had a small, precious life growing inside of her.

When Rapunzel finally came to realize that she was eating an apple, she chucked it right at Max's face, stuck her tongue out at him, and prepared to go to sleep. It had been a rough day for her. She took a light sweater out of Eugene's satchel, which she had managed to keep away from Gothel, and covered up with it. She nuzzled up close to Max who was lying beside her and fell asleep. Out like a light. She started snoring extremely loud, and Max knew that he would not get any sleep tonight. He would have to stick it out. He took the sleeve of the sweater in his mouth and used it to wipe Rapunzel's runny nose, then rested his head on the ground and attempted to fall asleep. But it was going to be a long, restless night for the poor old horse.

**OK! I KNOW IT WAS SHORT BUT IT WAS PRETTY FUNNY! REVIEW PLEASES! Oh! And any ideas you guys come up with I will try to incorporate into the story. I have already made some promises so it will be a while before they show up in REVENGE. Thx!** **I LUV U GUYS!**


	5. Stabbingtons Return

**HELLO ALL YOU KOOL BEENZ! ~ I just luv saying that~ HERE IS CHAPTER 5! IN THE SAME NIGHT AS CHAPTER 4! By popular demand! Thx for ALL the reviews! I feel like the luckiest beast on the planet! On all the planets! Especially Neptune! Ok… This one is about Eugene! Here we go!**

Chapter 5:

Where was he? Where was Rapunzel? The last thing that he remembered was bringing Rapunzel to the tower and then G…. oh no. He looked around and found himself chained up. His head was throbbing he could faintly see a small pool of crimson blood through the dim light. He was under the stairs. He could tell by the light that it was about three in the morning, maybe four at the latest. He could hear someone snoring heavily from somewhere in the tower. It was most likely Gothel.

He tried to stand up, but the chains came short and he could only kneel. He was starving. He hadn't eaten since breakfast the day before. But he had other things to worry about besides food. He went to call out to Rapunzel, to see if Gothel had captured her too, but didn't get a chance.

"Rapu…" He was cut short by the sound of heavy boots trudging towards him. Gothel was still asleep, so who could it have been? His question was answered when Stabbington Brothers walked out of the dark shadows. Eugene could have sworn that his heart had skipped a beat when he saw the two broad men protrude from the darkness.

"Hello Rider, or should I say, your highness." Both of them were there. Russell, the one with the eye patch, and Xavier, the more talkative of the duo. Of course it had to be Xavier who spoke sarcastically to Eugene. Russell just stood there, a mischievous smile taking to his face.

"What are you doing here?" Eugene suddenly noticed that his throat was terribly dry and his voice raspy and quiet. "Are you working with the old hag? Or are you trying to kill me off before she does?" Eugene looked deep into Xavier's eyes, a deep hatred within them, and over powering loathing. Jealousy. They were free, well sorta. They were not chained up to a post and shoved under the stairs like he was. He hated tight spots and he hated them for his past with them too.

Xavier chuckled a bit and smiles a cruel, bitter smirk that told Eugene the answer. They wanted him dead. They wanted Rapunzel dead. But most of all, they wanted Gothel dead. Gothel had ditched them and turned them into the guards after they helped her find Rapunzel. They had absolutely no intention of working with her again, but for some reason, they were.

"Why? She ditched you. Are you really going to go through that again?" Eugene was all sorts of confused, but he noticed something that he had never noticed before about Russell. And before Xavier could continue, Eugene blurted out the most random sentence Russell had ever heard.

"You know, I can't help but notice that your scar goes over your eye patch." Eugene got to hear Russell speak for the very first time that day.

"Yeah?" Russell was a bit thrown back by the comment. He stared at Eugene until he looked awkwardly away and just said "nothing…"

"Stop getting off subject Rider." Xavier was getting aggravated. He simply took Eugene by the collar of his short and whispered in his ear.

"You and your precious princess will be good as gone. In 3 days at most." Eugene's eyes widened as Xavier said this. His fear soon turned to anger and it raged inside him. He got so upset he punched his ex-partner in the nose. His nose made a not so pleasant cracking noise and started to bleed.

"Why you dirty little bastard! Why I should just kill you now!" Xavier kicked Eugene right in the gut. He did this repeatedly until Eugene's stomach was raw and bleeding. Then Xavier kicked him in the head, and Eugene blacked out. His head started gushing out blood from his wound again

Gothel woke when she heard Xavier yelling and rushed down to see the commotion. It was maybe 5 in the morning by then.

"Don't kill him yet boys. He is our bait."

**NARWHALS NARWHALS! SWIMMING IN THE OCEAN! CAUSING A COMMOTION! So what did you think! Review review review! I did 2 chapters in 1 day for u guys. Cuz I luv u that much! I better get a lot of reviews! I spent a long time on this one! PEACE MY HOBO HOME-FRIES! XD LOOK! HE HAD A GOATEE! LIKE FLYNN! ONLY FLYNN IS WAY HOTTER!**


	6. Flower Gleam And Glow

**Ok! Here is chapter 6! Sorry I haven't updated all weekend but I was away at lake placid! And my art teacher was there and it was really awkward…. But I had my tablet and so I could go online, but I couldn't update! But I'm home now so here it is! Oh! And thanks to Disney's Phineus and Ferb show! Without that show… I would not have had my funny moment last chapter! And thanks also to Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds for the idea with the Stabbington Brothers! It gave my story a nice touch!**

Chapter 6:

Rapunzel woke up to a sickly feeling in her gut and motion sickness. Motion sickness? She opened her eyes to find herself on top of Max. He was galloping through the forest at a painstakingly slow pace, as if not to wake her. He stopped when he heard Rapunzel's raspy voice and turned his head to see her stretching out her arms.

Her throat was soar, explaining her raspy voice, and as she stretch out her arms, Rapunzel fell of Max's back into a pile of leaves. She groaned as she lifted herself from the ground. Oh, wonderful. Her leg, which broke her fall, started to swell up and turned a sickly blue, green color. Broken. She limped slowly over to Max. The pain was unbearable, but she needed to be strong. Eugene needed her. She slowly hoisted herself back onto Max.

Max moved at an even slower pace than before as they made her way through the forest. Rapunzel's leg couldn't take the bouncing motion that came with Max's fast speed. It was going to take at least another day, maybe two, to get to the kingdom at this rate. Could Eugene hold on that long?

Rapunzel quickly grew bored. To pass the time, she admired the scenery of the lush forest. She had never had the time to admire its true beauty, and it was beautiful. The leaves had started to change color, making the trees transform into a fall rainbow. Brightly colored fish, probably coy, were swimming down a flowing stream, while a bright yellow flower began to glow in the distan… And that's when it hit her.

"Max, Max look over there." Rapunzel whispered and pointed in the direction of the glowing plant. Max halted to a stoop and looked over in the direction Rapunzel was pointing to. He saw to large, broad men standing over a bright glowing light. Max looked more closely and noticed that the bright light was, in fact, a flower. That's when the men stood up and started to charge at him and Rapunzel.

"Max it's them! Those guys Eugene used to work with!" Rapunzel went to reach for her frying pan when Max suddenly darted off. Rapunzel held on for dear life, forgetting the pain in her leg, and tried to get Max to stop. "Please Max stop! Max! MAX!" The horse halted and looked guiltily at Rapunzel. In the distance, Rapunzel could see the boys catching up to them.

Rapunzel jumped of Max and landed on the ground with a thump. She winced as a wave of pain rushed through her leg, but ignored it and stood up. She held up her frying pan and got into a batting position. When the two men finally reached her, Rapunzel swung with all her might, aiming for their heads. She managed to knock the one with the eye patch to the ground, but he quickly recovered and slapped her across the face.

As Rapunzel fell to the ground, an agonizing pain rippled through her stomach. She quickly sat up and vomited all over the ground, causing both the boys to slip in the nasty muck. Before the boys could manage to even sit up, Rapunzel quickly got to her feet and tried to limp over to Maximus. Just as she reached the stallion, large hands grabbed her and dragged her away. Then out of nowhere, Gothel appeared and held a small rag over her face. Rapunzel started to feel woozy, and quickly grew tired. Before she blacked out into the darkness, she heard Gothel say something to the two large men.

"Xavier! Russell! Hurry up! I haven't got all day! Just pick her up and let's go! I have a flower to tend to." Ok. So now Rapunzel knew their names. Xavier and Russell. This would most likely help her in the future. Rapunzel fell into darkness, and dreamt about the two names that were now embedded in her memory. Xavier and Russell.

**YAY! I know it was short but it was good. Another thanks to Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds for the Stabbington Brothers idea! Im am grateful for it! Review this please! Chapter 7 should be up by either tonight or tomarrow! Peace!**


	7. Happy Anniversary Honey

**Heyy! This chapter was written by my new co writer Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds! Well most of it. I tweaked it a bit. But this chapter would not be possible without her! And Thanks for bein so patient guys! Me and Anna Love you!**

Eugene woke up to the sound of thumping on the wooden steps below the stone floors. Someone was coming up the stairs. He sat bolt upright, but dizziness over took him and he found himself sprawled on the cold stone a moment later. His badly injured head throbbed with pain as Gothal climbed out of the trap door.

"Well, look who's woken up." She said with a smirk. He scowled at her but his attention was drawn away quickly as the two bulky, red haired figures appeared as well; this time carrying a very familiar brunette.

"RAPUNZEL," He yelled, all of the pain suddenly pushed to the back of his mind. He got on his knees in a moment's notice, glaring at the witch that stood before him. "What did you do to her?"

She simply smiled. His former partner placed his wife on the ground next to him, and then proceeded in locking her small wrists with the other end of his chain. He watched Rapunzel's face as she slowly began to regain consciousness. She blinked several times, her green eyes looking cloudy. Gothal took this opportunity. Reaching into her cloak, she pulled out a small flask of glowing liquid. She walked to the girl and poured the contents of the bottle into her mouth.

Rapunzel woke to herself choking un the contents of the flask blinked several times, regaining her awareness. Then, noticing the tall figure of her former kidnapper in her midst, along with the bloody figure of her husband, she yelled.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" She backed away from the woman, coughing uncontrollably as she chocked on the tears. Eugene sat up, backing against the wall Rapunzel sat against.

"Are you frightened my flower? Of course we could always relocate if you're scared here."

"You tried to kill Eugene, and lock me away forever! Since when have you cared about my happiness?"

"Why, ever since you were born of course." Mother Gothel said laughing. "That's why things should go back to the way they were when you were living in the tower. We were both happy then."

"You were just using me for my hair. I had wanted to get out of this tower, and you kept me there, using me for your own personal gain. You never cared about me, just my hair!"

"Rapunzel," she said, advancing towards her, meaning to touch her head in comfort. She jerked away.

"How are you even alive?" Eugene asked angrily.

Gothel simply laughed. "Why, I believe that you know. Am I not correct?"  
>He stared at her for a moment, confused on what she told him. 'How could I know? I didn't do anything. The cloak was gone when I cleaned out the tower. The only time I noticed the cloak was when we left the tower three years ago.'<p>

Then, it dawned on him. "The tears!" he exclaimed.

"You're smarter than you look. Yes, as Rapunzel was leaving the tower, she must have been crying. This," Gothel held up a nearly empty flask of clear liquid, "has been keeping me alive all of this time. After you left, the tear that fell on my ashes returned me to my original form. I returned to the tower, collecting all of them. Then I used them to grow a new flower. So now, if and when I do, unfotunatly, run out of tears, I will still have my flower, but that won't be necessary. I will have a new source of power soon."

Eugene gave Rapunzel a puzzled look. The only thing he knew about the power is that It could heal, and that when the queen inhaled the flower, the power was transferred to her offspring, Rapunzel.

"What do you mean 'new source'?" Eugene turned back to Gothel and gave her a puzzled look as well.

"Oh! Well well. Your precious princess hasn't told you yet? Well what a surprise you are in for, Rider. You are to be a father soon."

Eugene whipped his head around to view Rapunzel. She did look a bit pudgy, like she had gained some weight.

"Rapunzel…" Eugene was interrupted by his wife.

"She's telling the truth. Happy anniversary honey…" Rapunzel trailed off and stared at the floor, but her train of thought was broken by Gothel's high pitch tone.

"Sorry to ruin your little moment here, but the child is mine." Gothel's lips curved into a wicked smile.

"What? Wait…" Eugene had to think for a moment before continuing, "No! You can't! Please!"

Gothel just chucked a bit. The sight of this pity thief chained to the wall made her all flighty and happy on the inside.

"The child has the powers now! And it shall be mine!"

"NO!" Eugene started struggling at pulling at his chains, trying to break free.

"You have no hope Rider." Gothel let out a chuckle and pulled something out of her cloak.  
>Under her cloak, she pulled out a dagger; the same knife that had killed Eugene three years ago. However, as she started to advance to Eugene, the three heard a deep grunt from the back of the room. The two brothers exchanged a quick look and then smiled.<p>

"Actually," Xavier said, pulling out his sword. "We had a few plans of our own." Russell extracted his dagger, and the two started walking towards Mother Gothel.

"We want the girl, instead." Xavier said.

"Oh." Gothel said, setting down the knife on the end table. "I see how it is." The knife fell as she walked towards the threatening brothers, landing only a few short inches away from where Eugene sat.  
>"Well, this complicates things. Doesn't it gentlemen?"<p>

She stood next to Xavier, smiling at him as he gave her a confused look. "I think we could work this out." Suddenly, she elbowed him in the ribs, making the Stabbington drop his sword and fall to the ground. Russell lunged towards her, only to be disarmed by the sword that Mother Gothel grabbed from the immobilized Xavier.

Rapunzel, recognizing this as a time for action, furiously looked about the room. Then, she spotted the dagger. "Eugene," she whispered "Do you think you can get that knife?"

He turned to her and nodded. Silently making his way over to it, his restrained hands fumbled with the knife. Hiding it behind his back, he moved back to where he previously sat.

"Alright, in ten seconds, break the chain." She said, moving towards the pile of brown hair that sat in the corner of the room. Following her directions, Eugene positioned the knife in the opening of the chain. Twisting the knife, the link broke, freeing them. Rapunzel quickly grabbed an end of the heap of brown hair. As Xavier ran towards her, she grabbed her cook book off of the shelf, hitting him in the head and knocking him to the ground. Eugene ran to the window, ignoring the pain in his torso and head. Rapunzel quickly made her way to the window as well, looping the long brown hair around the iron hook and securing it. They both grabbed hold, jumping and making their way down to the ground.

The couple landed hard, and sprinted towards the opening of the cave. Rapunzel looked back only briefly, hearing the infuriated screams of Gothel behind her. Maximus, who had finally retraced the steps of the Stabbingtons, saw the rushing couple and instantly made his way over to them. Rapunzel and Eugene jumped on the horse, and the three quickly retreated. Trees and hills whipped by them as Max ran through the forest. After being assured that they were far enough from the tower, they stopped at the tree Rapunzel and Max had camped by the previous night.

Jumping off of the horse, Rapunzel grabbed a cloth from the bag. Dipping it in the clear water, she made her way back to her injured husband. Both light headed and dizzy, Eugene slide off of Max; limping over to a log, his wife joined him. He sat on the dead tree while Rapunzel pressed the damp cloth to the open wound on his head.

"Eugene, Eugene; stay with me. You can't sleep. Did you hear me?" She asked rather quickly.

"Rapunzel," He said hoarsely, looking at his wife. He gasped at the sight of her. She looked so beautiful. Her pixie cut hair flew around in the wind. But what made her even more beautiful was that she was carrying his child, but he had to be serious for at least a moment

"What? What is it? Is everything okay?" She asked, looking worried. Eugene held out his hand and brushed his wife's brunette hair out of her face. His hand shook with weakness and his voice was hoarse.

"Rapunzel, we have to keep moving. We can't let Gothel get to you. I can't lose one person I love, let alone two. I wouldn't be able to live with myself." Eugene place his hand over Rapunzel stomach and smiled. "So, boy or girl?"

"I don't know yet, but I think I want a girl." Rapunzel giggled a bit and placed her hand over Eugene's, who's hand still laid over her stomach.

"As long is she is like you, I could go for a daughter. God forbid if she acted like me, we'd be in one hell of a pickle, now wouldn't we?

"I think either way she, or he, will be perfect." Rapunzel sighed in contentment. They were safe for the moment. Rapunzel went back to treating her husband's wounds and gave him a small kiss on the forehead.

"I love you."

"I love you to Blondie. Oh. And best anniversary gift ever."


	8. Don't Leave Me While I'm Gone

**New chapter! Yay! Here we go!**

"AAAHHHH!" Rapunzel woke to a cry of pain and shot up from her positing on the grassy forest floor. She and Eugene had set up camp a little further from the place they stopped at earlier that day and it was now late in the night. Rapunzel scanned all around the darkness until her eyes found the sight of her husband curled up in a ball over at a nearby tree. The air smelled salty, almost like blood. Rapunzel got up, ignoring the pain in her leg, and raced over to her husband, who let out another blood curling cry of pain.

"Eu… Eugene!" Rapunzel reached the ex-thief and held his face in her hands. He looked pale, even in the moonlight, and his hands clutched something near his stomach. Rapunzel let her hands move down to his and found the dagger embedded deep into his abdomen, blood everywhere.

"Oh my gosh! Eugene wha… what happened!" Rapunzel stared into her husband's cloudy amber eyes and gave him a look of alarm. Eugene was desperately gasping for air and coughing up blood. He shook weakly, but managed to untie a small note that had been attached to the dagger and handed it to his petrified wife.

_I'm always watching you flower. Every second of the day. You may_

_have escaped this time, but not for long. Never underestimate _

_me, because you know very well; Mother knows best._

"Oh my god…. That Bitch!" Rapunzel through the note over her shoulder and turned her attention back to her weakening husband.

"No no no no no no! Eugene, stay with me! Please! Just breathe! I won't let her get you again! I promise! Just stay with me Eugene!" Rapunzel turned away and looked over at the very sound horse, who, somehow, had been asleep through all this.

"Max! MAX!" The horse opened his eyes and yawned a bit before looking over at Rapunzel. As his blurry vision cleared, he notice Eugene lying on the ground and raced over to the couple. Max stared in terror as he saw his best friend clutching at the dagger fixed in his stomach, covered in blood. Then he turned his attention over to Rapunzel.

"Max, run to the kingdom as fast as you can and get help. And hurry. We don't have much time." Rapunzel gave Max a serious look before the old horse bolted off towards thekingdom.

Max raced as fast as he could and within minutes he was at the palace gates. He got the attention of some guards who where, luckily, looking for the prince and princess with the king and queen. The horse did everything in his power to let the guards what had happened, but a horse can only say so much to a human.

"What is it Max, we have business to do at the moment. Whatever it is you need is gonna have to wait." The captain of the guards never understood his own horse, which was very heartbreaking.

"Wait," said the queen, "He is trying to say something important. I just know it. Come on men, let's follow him. Maybe he knows where my daughter and son in law are." The queen gave them all an order, so of course they obeyed, and thank god all mighty they did, because when they at the place where the camp was set up, Eugene's time was almost up.

The queen had ordered to bring some supplies with them, and ended up bringing a whole cart full of items, but the only thing that would be of use was the cart.

Eugene laid almost completely motionless in Rapunzel's arms.

"Oh My Goodness! What happened to him!" The queen raced over to her still son in law and sat down in the dirt next to her daughter.

"It was Gothel, she is alive and after us…" Rapunzel was quiet and extremely close to tears.

"Anne," Eugene let out in a breath, "get Rapunzel out of here. It's not AAHHH," a sharp pain ripped through his gut, "It's not safe here."

"No Eugene! I'm staying here with you. Just hold on just a little longer." Rapunzel let tears over flow her eyes and run down her freckled face.

"Neither of you are staying here. Guards! Clear the cart and put the prince on it. QUICKLY!" The king tried to speak confidently, but knew in his heart that his son in law probably wouldn't make it back to the palace alive.

The guards did as they were told and tried there hardest to gently carry the prince over and onto the cart. Eugene tried his hardest to stay awake and not to scream. Those idiotic guards couldn't be any less careful right now. With the dagger still rooted deep in his stomach, he let out a wince now and then, trying hard not to fall into the darkness.

The guards placed Eugene gently onto the cart and hooked it up to Max for him to pull. The Captain of the guards, the queen, Rapunzel, and the king sat on the cart with Eugene, while the rest of the guards walked along side Max. They started to make their way back to the kingdom when the Captain spoke up.

"It's gonna have to come out Rider." The Captain looked into Eugene's amber eyes, then gestured down to the dagger entrenched in his abdomen. The Captain took off his sash he wore around his waist and gave it to Rapunzel.

"Now, when I pull this out, I need you to put this over the wound and hold it there. Got it?" Rapunzel nodded and turned to face her beloved Eugene. He was in so much pain; it was a surprise to her that he wasn't unconscious yet.

The Captain took Eugene hands and pushed them gently aside. He put one hand on the dagger and the other on Eugene's shoulder. Eugene winced in agony as the Captain placed his hand on the dagger. It was so deeply implanted into his stomach that any slight shifts of it sent out waves of agonizing, sharp pains through his whole body.

The Captain carefully tugged at the dagger, but it wouldn't budge. Eugene screamed at the top of his lungs, startling Max. The horses jumped and made the cart bounce, making Eugene cry out in pain again.

"All right. Let's try this again. Come on Rider!" The Captain pulled as hard as he could and ripped the blade out of Eugene's abdomen. More flesh and skin was torn out with the dagger and the wound doubled in size.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Eugene burst into tears and screamed so loud that the neighboring kingdom, Berk, could hear his blood curling cries. Blood started gushing out of his deep wound and Rapunzel hastily placed the sash over her husband's wound and gently pressed down to keep it in place.

The Captain had never seen Eugene like this. Not once. Tears rolled one right after the other down his cheeks, while he screamed bloody murder. Blood seeped through the golden sash and stained his wife's hands. With each scream, the Captain could tell that Eugene was getting weaker, and they needed to get back to the palace quickly.

"Conli! How much longer till we reach the palace!"

"We are arriving now sir." Conli glanced over at Eugene. Conli was a probie, a newbie, the new guard. And since he was new, he was in charge of clearing out the remains of the criminals and discarding them after hangings and what not in the kingdom. So he had seen some gruesome stuff, but this was dreadful. Never had Conli seen anything this terrifying, and Eugene was still alive.

"Gosh," Conli whispered to himself, "I hope he makes it…"

Everyone arrived at the palace and quickly carried Eugene inside and to the nearest room. As soon as Eugene was placed on the bed, Conli was sent out along with Max to find as many doctors and surgeons as possible. The queen unclasped the buckles on Eugene's vest, and then unbuttoned his shirt. The wound was raw and tender, and was bleeding extremely heavily. Rapunzel quickly ran over to the wash room and grabbed some towels to use as bandages until Conli returned with the doctors.

Eugene was close to unconsciousness. He was fading in and out now and he had lost so much blood. He was surprised that he was still alive. His death at the tower three years ago seemed quicker and less excruciating that this. He started coughing uncontrollably and coughed up more blood. His lungs were failing, and he needed to take each breath in short, shallow paces. He shivered and shook with weakness, and his stomach was burning like fire strait from hell.

Rapunzel sat by Eugene's bed and squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back as hard as he could to tell her that he was still there with her, for now.

All of a sudden, Conli burst into the room with about twenty doctors and surgeons. They raced over to Eugene and began to work. Everybody was forced to wait out in the hall.

Inside the room, doctors swarmed like bees. Surgeons tried to remove fragments of the dagger that were left behind when it was tugged out and doctors worked on keeping Eugene alive until the surgery was over, then they would work from there, if he survived.

The pain was unbearable. Surgeons picked and prodded with his wound. He broke out into tears multiple times and fell into darkness a few times too. Each stitch they implanted into him brought up a new scream up from his lips. Pascal had managed to color himself just right and had been able to stay in the room and sit right by Eugene. The little chameleon couldn't stand to leave the ex-thief alone with a bunch of nerdy doctors.

Each scream Rapunzel heard made her want to bust the door down and race to her husband's side. Her Mother was on the verge of doing the same, but the king held them both back.

Hours past and soon it was dawn. The screams died down and only a few groans could be heard every now and then. Soon the head surgeon, Dr. Buffington, walked out to talk to everyone. The surgery was over.

"Well, all I can say is that he's a strong kid. He did well. Now if you all don't mind, I would like to speak to the princess alone. Why don't you all go get breakfast?" Everyone looked at one another, and then left to go eat. The Dr. Buffington turned to Rapunzel.

"Princess, I'm just going to cut strait to the point. The prince might not make it through the day. His wound was beyond my expertise, but I tried the best I could. If there are any more complications, feel free to send someone for me. I am going to join the others for breakfast while the doctors clean up their supplies. You may go see your husband if you like, but he is in a lot of pain, so be gentle." The surgeon walked down the hall and turned the corner.

Rapunzel just stood there in shock. It's like that surgeon didn't even care. Rapunzel walked over to the large wooden door. She gently pressed on it and the hinged squeaked as the door slowly opened.

At the sight of the princess, all the doctors quickly fled the room to give her privacy with her husband. Rapunzel walked slowly over to the bed. There on the bed, laid the still, pale figure she knew as Eugene, but it didn't even look like him.

"Eugene. Eugene wake up. It's Rapunzel. Honey." Rapunzel sat herself on a chair next to his bed. Eugene just groaned before opening his eyes. His beautiful, bright amber eyes were now cloudy and misty.

"Rapunzel?" He didn't even sound like himself. His voice was raspy and course.

"I'm here. Just relax. Ok. I'm right here." Rapunzel was on the verge of tears. She kissed he husband on the head. She was about to say something to him when a doctor came it.

"Princess, I count help notice your condition and I thought I could fix you up. I'm quite surprised you are standing up. You leg looks quite swollen and bruised. Come on. I will fix you up."

Rapunzel kissed Eugene on the head and walked out of the room. _Don't leave me while I'm gone Eugene._ This was the though bouncing around in Rapunzel's mind as she walked through the large corridors and into anther bedroom,

_Don't leave me while I'm gone Eugene. Your baby needs a daddy…_


	9. Ducky In Cahoots with the Devil

**Heyy all u paeple! Heyy all u people! Hey all u people won't u listen to me! Haha! Spongbob… lol. So here is the next chapter! Thank u to my co writer Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds for editing this. U ROCK! **

Chapter 9:

Days went on in Corona. Word got out in the town's folk that the prince was in critical condition and the whole kingdom went into a dark and monotonous mood. Rapunzel sat by her husband, her injured leg wound up in tight bandages with crutches at her side, every minute of the day, ignoring her daily duties to the kingdom, and hoped that he would soon be like his old sarcastic, kind self once more.

But Eugene worsened by the day. His wound grew infected and turned a sickly green. The infection made him ill and started eating away at him from the inside. He was always in pain, screaming when Dr. Buffington inspected the large gash in his abdomen, and he never slept, for the pain was to unbearable. His amber eyes were blood-shot and dark circles formed under them. Every day he laid in his room, color draining from his tan face, and his sarcastic comments to his wife cut off often due the unbelievable pain. Eugene was dying.

Dr. Buffington; a fool. The doctor was mind boggling. He could act as sweet as could be, a kind gentle fellow, but then when it came to Eugene, he was a monster, never trying to comfort the price, let alone help him. Dr. Buffington would ignore Eugene's pleads and continue on tearing stitches out of him and applying new ones without relieving the ex-thief of his agony, like most doctors would try to do.

He would come in each day and just cause more pain for the young prince. He would tear off the bandages with great force and roughness, when all he had to do was unravel it gently from Eugene's torso. When Dr. Buffington inspected the ex-thief's wound, he would undo the stitches by ripping them out of the young man, making his eyes overflow with tears and screams leave his lips. Meanwhile, despite her pleads to stay by her husband's side, the princess was asked to leave the room, therefore staying completely oblivious to the torture her Eugene was going through.

Dr. Buffington came in one rainy afternoon at around three. He did his usual routine, starting by ripping the bandages off Eugene while he screamed, then tearing out his stitches, letting the sickly germs of the uncleanly room rush into the open wound. The maids were not permitted to enter Eugene's room at any time, there for explaining the uncleanliness.

After the whole process was done, Rapunzel walked into the room, gazing over at her weak husband. He was pale. His hair, damp from sweat and his knuckles turned white as he clutched his blanket, resisting clutching his open wound. He was constantly in pain, and now that his wound was infected, he was extremely ill, always with a fever that nobody could ever bring down and even though, he still shivered and complained he was cold.

"Doctor, I don't understand why he isn't getting any better. Are you sure that you can take care of him? I can still hear him screaming during checkups. Perhaps we could bring in a doctor who specializes in infections like these..."

"Pish-Posh! I will stay here and that's final!" he practically yelled, taking the princess aback. As he gathered his materials, he mumbled, "Your husband should be dead soon any way so..." and cut off mid-sentence. The surgeon just said something that should not have been said, at least not in front of the princess or royalty. Now _she_ was going to make him pay. Dr. Buffington was in a conspiracy with the one person who wanted Eugene dead, to be young forever, but not for much longer...

Rapunzel's head whipped around to look at a regretful doctor. "What did you just say?" The princess looked at the doctor is shock. She couldn't get words to come out of her mouth, but inside her mind, thoughts were coming right after another. _Did he really just say that...? HE REALLY JUST SAID THAT! Oh my god! He is TRYING TO KILL MY HUSBAND! Or maybe he meant that he is dying on his own... NO! HE IS HELPING THAT WITCH! I KNOW IT! Gothel! THAT NO GOOD DIRTY ROTTEN EVIL WOMAN. Stop it Rapunzel, you're not acting like yourself, stay calm... Oh I CAN'T! Oh what do I do! Should I get out the frying pan or should I go get the guards? No! The guards won't help! They're stupid anyway, except Conli. He is sweet. Oh! Rapunzel get it together! SAY SOMETHING!__  
><em>  
>"Get out..." Rapunzel's voice was raspy and quiet.<p>

"What you highness?" Mallard Buffington, whom everyone who knew him called Ducky because of his first name, stared at the floor with anxiety and nervousness. He was a young doctor, about Eugene's age, maybe a little older. He loved Rapunzel for kind heart and her sweetness, and was disgusted with himself for going this foul task for Gothel, but he needed that flower. His little girl, Penelopi, who was 6, was at home, to ill for even him to treat and dying. Gothel told him that if he did this job for her, that he could have it. It would be all his, forever. But if he didn't, then the end would meet her quicker than it already was coming.

"I SAID GET OUT!" Rapunzel was crying and her fists were balled up so tightly that he knuckles turned white. Ducky saw the anger and rage boiling up inside of her and quickly ran out of the room and down the hall. He was running so fast that he fell face first down a flight of stairs. He tumbled down until he came to the bottom. Then he just lay their, motionless. He laid there for about five minutes until he heard what sounded like a stampede. The guards. The princess had told them, on him, on Gothel. Ducky knew he deserved it, but now his daughter had no chance. Little Penelopi was going to die alone, while her lowly father rotted in jail for trying to kill the prince. He wasn't even going to have time to rot, he was most likely going to be executed immediately.

He tried to lift himself up, but a sharp pain in his back made Mallard fall back to the floor. Guards were coming at him from all directions, swarming like insects. They forced him to stand, while he winced at the pain eating away at his back. From the corner of his eye, he could see the princess pushing through the crowd of guards, her face red with anger. She ran up to him and ordered the guards to put him down.

Rapunzel looked down at Gothel's accomplice. He was bruised and battered from his falling down the stairs and he looked up at her with grief in his eyes.

"Why? Why did you do it? He is dying now because of you." Rapunzel let tears stream down her freckled face and drop down onto the white marble floor. Ducky just looked up at her, his vision blurred from the tears in his eyes.

"She said that, that if I killed him..." he stopped and winced in pain of his back, "That if I killed him, she would give it to me to heal Penelopi. My baby, she is dying. I need that flower... please. Spear me my life, she needs me! I couldn't let her take my baby from me, I just couldn't." At that last line, he winced as the guards tried to stand him up once more.

"I see. I will spear you only if you promise to help us find Gothel. And if you can save my husband. On those conditions only, I will pardon you of your crimes."

Ducky gazed up at the princess with a twinkle in his eyes. He ignored the pain in his back as a bright smile curved his lips.

"Oh Gracious! Thank you princess!" The guards helped Ducky back up the stairs and into Eugene's sleeping quarters. With a detailed map and instructions of their task, the guards took off into the forest moments later. Rapunzel should have been happy as she watched them gallop into the forest. However, only one thought was running through her head.

Who is going to protect the kingdom now?


	10. Cauchemars, douleur, & une sœur d'un ami

"No no no no no! Eugene!" She looked down at the man in her arms. She cradled his head and pushed the chestnut hair out of his pale face. _This is all my fault_, Rapunzel thought to herself as Eugene went through a short fit of coughs and his head lolled to the side. "Look at me! Look at me! I'm right here! Don't go; stay with me Eugene!" Rapunzel could see Eugene was trying to fight to stay with her, but he was failing as his breaths became shorter and less often, and his eyes barley able to keep themselves open.

Even now that her golden locks were gone, she pulled his limp hand to her head and began to sing. "Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine." Rapunzel tried to rush the song, desperate for her love to be healed.

"Rapunz…" He ran out of breath as he tried to call out her name. He could barley feel her touch anymore and he could feel himself getting weaker, unable to support his head, or his eye lids for that matter, but he kept fighting.

"Make the clock reverse…" She ignored Eugene and sang on desperately.

"Hey…"

"Bring back what once was mine…"

"RAPUNZEL!" He used all his strength to shout out as loud as he could… and then he did it again. "Rapunzel! Rapunzel! Rapunzel, wake up!"

It was still dark out and she couldn't see any sign of the sun rising yet. She opened her eyes to see a worried Eugene. He was holding his side where his bandaged wound was and his breathing was a bit ragged, but he looked at her, an almost scared look in his eyes. "Rapunzel, are you alright?"

"I… you… I had…" Just then she broke into tears and flew into her husband's arms. He gasped in pain, but then hugged her, trying to sooth her. This kind of thing happened every once in a while, but he had a feeling this was more than just a bad dream…

"Hey… calm down. It's gonna be alright." He rubbed the back of her head and kissed her gently on the cheek.

"It was horrible! It.. it.. it was about that day… back in the tower! Eugene! I'm scared! She could be out there right now! Just watching us! I don't want to lose you again!" She wasn't so much crying anymore, just yelling, but a few tears did trickle down her face. And she had the hiccups, making it hard for the words to come out of her mouth right; most people wouldn't understand, only Eugene could… let's just say it was a gift. He hugged and kissed her, trying to sooth her, even though his wound ached and he felt light headed.

"I doubt it, Blondie." He sounded groggy and sore, but sincere and comforting at the same time.

Rapunzel stopped yelling, wiped tears from her eyes, and looked up at her husband. He looked like he had a head ache, and the crying and screaming probably didn't help. Eugene was attempting to smile, but the burning sensation gnawing at his side gave him a pained look in his eyes. His face was pale, and he winced as he shifted slowly to lie down in bed. He was in a lot of pain, more than he deserved. Rapunzel glanced down-ward to see that his bandages were stained with a fresh coat of blood.

"Oh… Eugene hold still, you're bleeding again. Let me go get the doctor…" She was interrupted by a slightly pained voice.

"No… I'm fine. Just… just come back to bed." He didn't want her to leave.

"At least let me look at it…" Rapunzel hastily grabbed spare bandages Ducky had left for her in an empty dresser. She unwound his old one, but then quickly wound them back up, forgetting a needle and stitching thread to re-new his stitches.

He winced and groaned as she implanted the new stitches into his bleeding side. His wound was no longer infected, thanks to Ducky, but when she finished sewing up his wound, she noticed something very peculiar. Next to his wound, there was a large bump, about the size of a small rubber bouncy ball. She touched it, but she instantly moved her hand away when her husband hissed in agony.

"Sorry… but Eugene, what is that?" She was worried. She was still so worked up about the nightmare that she couldn't think strait, but she new one thing, a whole new nightmare was beginning, at least it felt that way. "Eugene, I'm going to get Ducky, stay put, please." She kissed him on the forehead and gave him a reassuring smile. "I love you."

Eugene gave her a weak smile through the pain and sat up. "I love you too, Blondie." His voice was chock-full of pain, but he didn't want to scare her. Rapunzel left the room and strutted down the hall. Eugene just sat there; he unraveled his bandages to reveal his wound, and that peculiar bump next to it. He touched it, and winced a bit. It felt like something sharp was there. He tried to think of what it could possibly be, but Rapunzel came in with a tired Dr. Buffington behind her.

"Ok…" Ducky said through a yawn, "let me see." He made Eugene lie down while he inspected the bump. He touched it, and as you might already presume, Eugene yelped in pain. Ducky thought to himself for a few moments before speaking. "I think I know what the problem is. Your highness, you seem to still have a piece of dagger in your abdomen. We will most likely have to do surgery to remove it. We probably have not noticed it because it was not infected, but I am afraid now that it is, hence the bump, the surgery to remove it will be a rather little more that painful, compared to the first you had." He tried to give Eugene a serious look, but failed as his eyes were drooping as it became difficult to fight the sleepiness. Eugene felt the same, and fell asleep as Ducky bandaged him back up.

Rapunzel noticed the exhaustion in Ducky's eyes, excused the doctor, and allowed him to return to bed. "Thank you Ducky, you may go back to bed now, sorry for bothering you at such a later hour."

"Not a problem your highness, I will come by in the morning to prep him for surgery. It shouldn't take long, but he will be worn by the end of the process. He might be in quite a bit of pain for a while afterwards. We might have to go in through his wound, so he will have to start fresh with recovery. The surgery should take about half the day. I will start at noon. Have a nice night your highness. Sleep well."

Ducky walked out of the room, almost running into the door's frame on the way out. He was exhausted… Rapunzel could tell she was getting there too… She crawled into bed next to Eugene, careful not to bump into his stomach, and fell asleep. Eugene rolled over and put his arm around his wife. He stirred just for a moment to say "I love you." And then fell back asleep before he could get a response. Eugene aroused a few more times that night complaining of pain, but around 3 a.m., they fell asleep for the night, hand in hand.

The next day came all too soon. Rapunzel woke first. The day was cool and crisp. She could see the bright colors of the autumn leaves from the window in the room. She glanced over at Eugene. He had dark circles under his eyes from the restless night, and they stuck out even more from the paleness of his face. He winced in his sleep and his hand laid over his stomach, probably from grabbing at it in his sleep. Rapunzel went into the wash room to change. She wanted to be comfortable that day.

It had been about 2 weeks since Rapunzel had told Eugene she was pregnant, so that would put her at 1 month. Her stomach was already started to protrude, and morning sickness came on stronger each day. And today, it was wearing her down. She had thrown up a good 6 times in the past 10 minutes, and with Eugene's surgery, she wanted to be there with him. And she couldn't if she was uncomfortable in a stuffy dress. So for the first time, at least in the queen's book, a woman wore pants. Rapunzel took a pair of Eugene's tan pants and his white shirt, not including the vest, and threw it on over herself. _Better than a dress, _she thought to herself. They were a bit big, but not much, at least with her stomach already 'sticking out' as she would say.

Ducky came in as soon as Rapunzel came out of the wash room. He told Rapunzel to wait out in the hall, just as before, but of course she protested.

"Ducky! Please! He needs me." Rapunzel gave an attempt at the smolder, and a pretty good one at that, because it worked. Ducky let her come in the room, hesitantly.

Rapunzel sat there for about an hour or so, while Ducky prepped Eugene for surgery. Eugene slept for most of the prepping. He hadn't even woken that morning yet. Eugene finally woke up a few minutes after Ducky left the room to gather the tools needed that day for surgery.

"Good morning honey." Rapunzel looked over at Eugene from her little wooden chair next to the bed. Eugene groaned. He felt light headed and had a burning in his abdomen, but when didn't he? But this morning was different, this pain was nothing compared to the pain he was going to be in later. _Why me…_ he thought to himself as he tried to smile, hoping to reassure Rapunzel that everything was going to be fine. "Good morning Blondie." He said after a few minutes.

Just then, Ducky walked back into the room with his instruments and a few other doctors…no, surgeons. Doctors! Surgeons! Well…whatever they are… "Ah! Good morning your highness! Are you ready for your surgery?" Ducky tried to gather the courage to smile, but deep inside, he felt horrible for having Eugene go through another surgery.

The doctor himself was only a year or two older than Eugene, but hadn't experienced any amount of pain like the prince was having, and frankly, didn't want to. "Too young… Too young to be going through this much pain. And I guess I'm to blame…" Ducky mumbled to another doctor. The doctor looked over at Eugene, and then turned to Dr. Buffington and nodded. It was Ducky's fault he got so bad… and Gothel's, but Ducky could have helped from the start, and had Eugene running in circles by now… but he just had to go help Gothel. He should have known Gothel wouldn't give him the flower to help Penelopie, but guards were out trying to find it and Gothel, so maybe both Eugene and Penelopie had a living chance… but that was the problem… "maybe…" Ducky mumbled to himself, but quickly turned up to look at Eugene and grinned. "Let's get started, shall we."

"You're gonna be fine Eugene. Don't worry…ok?" She smiled down at her husband. Rapunzel squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back. He was scared stiff. He was scared stiff the first time too. He was scared stiff a lot lately… with Gothel being out there trying to kill him and get Rapunzel back. His big hazel eyes were either full of pain, or fear. He was jumpy and practically scared of his own shadow when he wasn't complaining of pain. His naïve, sarcastic remarks were lost and somewhere in the back of his mind because he was so paranoid about Gothel, but didn't show it.

So to cut to the chase… he hadn't been himself in a really long time, and this surgery was going to delay him ever becoming himself again even more. And he knew Rapunzel wasn't feeling well, with the baby and all, she was wearing his clothes for crying out loud to stay comfortable! AND NOBODY CARED THAT A WOMAN WAS WEARING PANTS! That seemed odd in Eugene's mind. These thought of him not being himself and Rapunzel wearing pants ran through his mind while Ducky talked to Rapunzel to let her know to take it easy on her husband after the surgery…like she didn't know already. Eugene's thoughts were disturbed when a red headed woman, one of the doctors, came over to talk to him. Something seemed vaguely familiar about her.

"Hello, your highness, is everything alright? You seem distant." She had a light, high voice with a slight lisp, almost like Rapunzel's. Her hair reached the mid-section of her back and was pulled into a French braid. She had blue eyes, and was very brawny for such a small woman. She reminded him of the Stabbingto… oh no.

"Oh my god…" He just stared at her… and she knew that he knew… She bent down and whispered into his ear.

"Your highness… I am the sister of your ex-coworkers, the Stabbington Brothers. My name is Genevieve Stabbington. I go by my maiden name, but Ducky is my husband. I am here to tell you that Gothel is still hot on your tail. She is after your wife. I am here to help you, I promise. My brothers told me the plan before they and Gothel split, and I have been fallowing her ever since."

"I don't know…" Eugene glanced over at Ducky, who was still chatting with Rapunzel.

"Please trust me! You have trusted Mallard this whole time! You can trust me too." She looked serious. She wasn't lying.

"Fine… I guess I can trust you…" He was interrupted by Ducky.

"Ok… You ready Eugene…"

"Just get it over with."

Hours went by, and the light was long gone by the time the surgery ended. It surprised every one on how big the shard of dagger in Eugene's abdomen was. It had caused internal bleeding, but Ducky had managed to temporarily to get it to stop.

Eugene was shot. He had broken into tears, yet again, multiple times during the surgery and his wound was raw. Ducky didn't want to make a new incision, causing two scars on Eugene's stomach, so he re-opened his wound. Eugene was exhausted from all the yelling and crying. He was in more pain than he had ever been in. Eugene's eyes were bloodshot under closed lids. He had fallen asleep shortly after the surgery. His hair was damp with sweat and he was the palest anyone had ever seen him.

Everyone was regretting performing the surgery, especially Ducky. They were all afraid that it made him worse. He was barely breathing and he was so weak that he couldn't even roll over in bed.

Rapunzel sat by his side for a few hours after words, but around 2 a.m., her father dragged her out of the room and put her to bed. She was tired too, but all she could think of was Eugene.

Genevieve stayed in Eugene's room that night, for he wasn't stable enough to be left alone. She felt awkward sitting next to a man who had gotten her brothers jailed. _I guess my brothers did deserve it… I feel horrible…._She looked down at Eugene._ He's half dead and it's all because of my brothers and that crazed psycho, Gothel _… _who would have know this all started because of some stupid flower…_ She thought back to the day the queen was healed by the flower. She was only a small child then, about 4 or 5 years old. She thought of how that old witch stole the princess because she possessed the flowers power. She thought about how Eugene went into surgery twice because Gothel stabbed him for revenge on stealing her 'flower' away from her again… and she didn't even know about the first time Gothel killed him…

She thought to herself while she gazed at Eugene. She made a list of things in her mind. Things to say sorry to him about when, and if, he woke up in the morning. _I'm sorry, your highness… I'm sorry you had to work with such idiots… all brawn, no brain idiots…I'm sorry you have to go through such pain because of them and that witch… and I'm sorry life was handed to you by the shittiest of hands… I'm sorry you have to fight every inch of the way for everything you need… even to live…. I'm sorry._


	11. How many more

**Hey! Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds wrote this one special for all you lovely readers! ENJOY! Sorry it's been a while, but true masterpieces take time!**

"Quick Max. Faster!"

Just moments ago, Rapunzel was in her husband's hospital room, pressing a damp cloth against his scorching forehead to keep his fever down as he slept. Despite the fact that his infection getting better every day, Rapunzel had never left his bedside. Ducky was holding up his end of the deal, caring for Eugene with determination and care, not just to save his own daughter, but Rapunzel's as well. Eugene's health was improving drastically, and his old self was coming around as well. As he slept peacefully in his bed, Rapunzel smiled, happy that her husband was pulling through. She knew that time was running out, that any moment Gothal could make her move, but she didn't care. For a few moments, all that mattered was that her husband was getting better, and there was hope that they could raise a family without that constant threat hanging over their head. That for once, something could go right.

But, a split second later, that tranquility ended.

In a split second, the village burst into flames.

Without thinking, or even giving it a thought, she sprinted out the palace doors to the stables, jumping on Max and taking off. Ducky told her to stop, but she didn't. She didn't know why, but she just knew that she had to be there. It was her future, and it was dying. But when she drew closer, it became obvious.

She was too late…

The whole village….. gone. The houses' framework still stood, blackened with soot and ash, as an eerie reminder of what once stood. The only thing left of the clay exteriors of the homes was a pile of blackened coal, some chunks still aflame. Rapunzel got off of Max, and stood in the middle of the wreckage, fist clenched and head hung low, fighting back tears.

She felt that she should have expected this to happen. It was the same with the tower; one moment, it was a place of laughter and joy, the next, just a dark and gloomy reminder of the joys that were once there. Rapunzel wondered why she even deserved a home, for all she did was destroy it. She didn't deserve one.

There she stood, tears dangerously close to falling from her eyes. Her head hung low, and her bangs covered her eyes. The wind whistled in her ears, blowing soot and ash in her direction. Rapunzel could practically hear the red haired girls running by laughing, and the shop keepers yelling prices to the busy townsfolk. It was all quickly drowned out by the pounding in her ears.

She couldn't hear the footsteps…

A loud yell came from the horse. Rapunzel turned around to find Max, on the ground, and arrow piercing his leg. She gasped and bent down to examine the wound. The arrow was lodged deep in the horse's thigh, and the slightest movement sent him over the edge. He was immobilized.

"How many people are you going to let get hurt for you Rapunzel?"

She automatically froze, and turned slowly. Gothal emerged from the shadowed framework of an old market, dropping a shabby bow. As she walked across the hot coals, her head was hung like that of a lion, carefully moving towards his pray. Gothal was definitely aging. Her black hair had wisps of gray, and her face seemed more tired and stretched. If this was the case, then the tears were running low. And that meant that she was getting desperate. Max saw the bow and whinnied, while trying to get up in rage.

"Your husband, your friends, who's next, Mommy and Daddy?" Gothal asked, mockingly. A voice told her to run, but it wasn't Rapunzel's voice. It was Eugene's. Gothal noticed Max struggling and told him sternly, "Hush up. Any more sounds, you'll be dead." He silenced.

Rapunzel's clenched fists turned white, and she gritted her teeth. She would not run. She was tired of running this race. All she was doing was throwing people behind her to take the punchs. Now it was time to turn around and face her opponent herself, and she needed answers.

Hoarsely, Rapunzel asked, "How did you know they would betray you?"

"I knew they would all along. The Stabbingtons obviously weren't going to trust me after I turned on them last time, but I needed their strength. I pretended to be a hopeless weakling, desperate for revenge. They played right into my hands. I wasn't the only one who wanted eternal youth Rapunzel." Gothal said, smirking and pushing the hair out of Rapunzel's face.

Rapunzel knew that she needed to make a sacrifice, and it wasn't going to be an easy one. Exhaling, she looked up at her, staring into the gray eyes to say that she wasn't going to back down. "Leave my family and my baby alone….. And I'll go with you instead."

Gothal raised an eyebrow. She didn't expect her to go this willingly. Sure, Rapunzel hesitated, but there wasn't even an escape attempt. "No tricks?" She asked. Slowly, Rapunzel shook her head.

Gothal gave a smile. This one was strange, like the ones she gave Rapunzel when she lived with her. "Well Flower, I say we should head home. I've found a new tower that you maybe more comfortable with."  
>'You mean that Eugene is less familiar with.' She thought to herself, as Gothal started walking to the bridge. She turned around, and held out her arms.<p>

It was the last straw. "Coward," Rapunzel said, angered. It was one thing to lock her in isolation for the rest of her life. Expecting her to be happy about it was unthinkable.

"Why Rapunzel, what would ever make you think that?" Gothal said, putting on her sugar coated mother voice. She was hoping Rapunzel would stop talking before she lost her patience.

"Your friends and family are dead Gothal. What makes it fair to take me away from mine?" She shouted. It had to be the first time she sounded so enraged, but her mood matched the tone. It even made Max jump.

Gothal rolled her eyes. "What does it matter having friends when you can live forever?" She smiled.

"This isn't just about living forever. You are scared."

"What could I be scared of, Flower?" She replied.

"Death." Rapunzel explained. "Castle guards? You could take them. Thieves? They were disposable. Death was the only thing you couldn't beat."  
>Gothal couldn't talk. She couldn't find the words.<p>

Rapunzel came closer, glaring into her eyes. "You wanted to win this. Well, you've won. Now what's your prize?"

Rapunzel continued glaring at Gothal, and could swear she saw her eyes flicker to her feet for a moment. Although her pressed, straight lips and towering stature held an overpowering look, that one gesture made it clear to Rapunzel. That her message had sunk in. She knew what she had done, and that was all Rapunzel needed.

"Are we going soon? I would like to get somewhere before dark." She asked, challengingly. Personality wise, she would never act like this. But after weeks of this torture and emotional abuse, Rapunzel was fed up.

Gothal looked down at her, skeptically. She spoke slowly, her voice dark. "Follow me."

Together, the two of them walked across the bridge, and disappeared into the woods, with Maximus struggling to regain his footing and shouting the whole time.


	12. Two Weak, Make One Strong

Eugene woke to the smell of something burning; a thick stench that filled the air and made his nose irritated and turn red. He sat up, letting the damp cloth fall from his head. He was still tremendously sore, but had regained a great deal of his strength back. He still had a fever of a blistering 105, and he wondered if the heat and the smell of smoke were all in his head. He needed therapy to rebuild his ability to walk, but did his best to rise from the bed and cling to the wall to make his way down the hall.

Eugene had not left his room in months. At the most, three. He clung to the wall, taking a rest whenever he came upon a chair or bench. He was one floor above the king and queen's chamber. If he could just make it there, he would be fine.

Eugene found his way to a flight of stairs and carefully made his way down. As he held tightly to the railing, he began to wonder…_ Where's Rapunzel?_

"Rapunzel?" Eugene mustered her sweet name out of his mouth as he struggled to hold up his weight on the railing. This attracted a guard, Conli.

"Your Highness, what are you doing out of bed!" Conli ran over to Eugene and assisted him over to a nearby chair.

"I smelled something… burning. Don't you smell it too?" Eugene carefully watched as Conli twiddled his thumbs and tried to pretend that he couldn't smell the smoke from the village.

"Conli…" Eugene said worriedly.

"What?" Conli began to sweat and twitch, a sign that he was hiding something.

"Conli!"

"The town's caught fire! I'm sorry Your Highness! That doctor and I, along with some others, tried to stop her from leaving, but the princess ran out to the stables and took off with the captain's horse! She ran right into the village! She still hasn't returned! I'm sorry! There is a search part out now! The only thing they found was the captain's horse… The poor thing took an arrow deep into his hind quarters. I'm sorry Your Highness!"

"Rapunzel…" Eugene said to himself in a hushed tone. "How long has she been gone, Conli?"

"About two hours now…" Conli felt guilty.

"She's done it again… How are the town's people?"

"I'm sad to say that most perished in the blaze… only about two hundred survived our of at least three thousand. A large price to pay for a small kingdom…" Conli went to say more, but was cut off abruptly by Eugene.

"Take me to the stable!" Conli did as he was told and one painstakingly slow step at a time, they two made it all the way down to the stable. Max lay in his stall, his back leg wound tight; a large red stain growing from the center.

"Hey Max. How ya feelin'?" Max was surprised to see Eugene. He hadn't seen his best friend since the stabbing. Max whinnied with happiness in seeing his friend. "Hey Max, how'd you like to go on an adventure?"

Conli just stared in disbelief as Max gathered all his strength to stand and run off with Eugene on his back. He tried to stop them, but there is no stopping a former thief and his horse on a mission. Conli ran up the stairs and into the king's office.

"He's gone! The prince has left in search of your daughter!"

The king and queen just stared at Conli, their mouths agape. Shock and fear in their eye's.


End file.
